This course is part of the Business Foundations Specialization

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2,528 ratings

Christian Terwiesch

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Offered By

Business Foundations SpecializationUniversity of Pennsylvania

About this Course

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Learn to analyze and improve business processes in services or in manufacturing by learning how to increase productivity and deliver higher quality standards. Key concepts include process analysis, bottlenecks, flows rates, and inventory levels, and more. After successfully completing this course, you can apply these skills to a real-world business challenge as part of the Wharton Business Foundations Specialization.

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Course 5 of 6 in the

Business Foundations Specialization

Approx. 9 hours to complete

English

Skills you will gain

Process Management
Operations Management
Six Sigma
Inventory

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Course 5 of 6 in the

Business Foundations Specialization

Approx. 9 hours to complete

English

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.41/5 (245 Ratings)

Christian Terwiesch

Andrew M. Heller Professor at the Wharton School, Senior Fellow Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics Co-Director, Mack Institute of Innovation Management

The Wharton School

141,954 Learners

7 Courses

Offered by

University of Pennsylvania

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating91%(6,797 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

27 minutes to complete

Introduction

27 minutes to complete

3 videos (Total 17 min), 1 reading

Week2

Week 2

3 hours to complete

Process Analysis

3 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 115 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes

10 videos

Flow Rate, Inventory, and Flow Time9mFinding the Bottleneck11mLabor Cost and Labor Utilization15mLittle’s Law6mInventory Turns7mMake to Stock vs Make to Order / Reasons for Inventory10mDealing with Multiple Flow Units14mReview of Process Analysis26mModule 2 Practice Problem: Atlas Inc (video)8mModule 2 Practice Problem: Multiple Flow Units (video)4m

2 readings

Module 2 - Process Analysis: Lecture Slides (PDF) and Excel Template10mModule 2 Practice Problems (PDF) and Solutions10m

2 practice exercises

Homework Assignment: Module 2 - Process Analysis30mFinal Exam - Module 230m

Week3

Week 3

3 hours to complete

Productivity

You'll learn the key components of productivity in this module. Beginning with the academic definitions of productivity, you'll move on to the common blockers, measurements, indicators of effectiveness, improvement techniques and financial values. By the end of this module, you'll be able to identify, describe and measure the relationship between inputs and outputs and also be able to develop strategies for decreasing inputs while increasing outputs, thereby boosting productivity wherever you see the need to.

3 hours to complete

11 videos (Total 102 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes

11 videos

Intro to Productivity, Taylorism7mThe Seven Sources of Waste9mFinancial Value of Productivity6mKey Performance Indicators and KPI Trees 6mOverall Equipment Effectiveness12mTakt Time8mQuartile Analysis9mProductivity Ratios9mReview of Productivity19mModule 3 Practice Problem: Dr. Peters (video)5mModule 3 Practice Problem: Assign Tasks to Workers (video)5m

2 readings

Module 3 - Productivity: Lecture Slides (PDF) and Excel Files10mModule 3 Practice Problems (PDF) and Solutions10m

2 practice exercises

Homework Assignment: Module 3 - Productivity30mFinal Exam - Module 330m

Week4

Week 4

3 hours to complete

Quality

Quality is not only a cornerstone of operations management, but also a critical component of an organization's long-term viability and success. This module covers all the major aspects of quality in operations, from examining the common reasons for defects to the most widely used implementation techniques for addressing problems of quality and ensuring reliability and standards. At the end of this module, you'll be able to anticipate where defects may occur and recommend a sound strategy for maintaining quality and stability.

3 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 98 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes

10 videos

Reasons for Defects10mQuality and Flow17mSix Sigma12mControl Charts9mJidoka8mProblem Solving6mToyota Production System9mModule 4 Review19mModule 4 Practice Problem: Assembly Tolerances (video)3mModule 4 Practice Problem: Security Check (video)2m

2 readings

Module 4 - Quality: Lecture Slides (PDF) and Excel Files10mModule 4 Practice Problems (PDF) and Solutions10m

2 practice exercises

Homework Assignment: Module 4 - Quality30mFinal Exam - Module 430m

Reviews

4.4

571 reviews

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TOP REVIEWS FROM INTRODUCTION TO OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

by PKFeb 25, 2017

Fantastic Course , Content and instructor. All the examples are very easy to understand and very practical in day to day life.my view is changed by learning the process so deep.

by TBJun 5, 2017

Very Time Consuming, process analysis and statistical probability are very interesting. I do feel however that I will have difficulty actually applying 95% of the material to my present day business.

by VPNov 16, 2018

Quite detailed and lengthy but an intriguing course. Many relevant examples have been included by the Professor to make contents easy for the user. Overall satisfactory!

by SWJun 9, 2020

The course content is very lucid and clear. I have learned many concepts from this course. This knowledge will be very useful for me while pursuing my MBA in Operations. Thank you.

View all reviews

About the Business Foundations Specialization

In this Specialization, you’ll develop basic literacy in the language of business, which you can use to transition to a new career, start or improve your own small business, or apply to business school to continue your education. In five courses, you’ll learn the fundamentals of marketing, accounting, operations, and finance. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll apply the skills learned by developing a go-to-market strategy to address a real business challenge.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Introduction to Operations Management

About this Course

Skills you will gain